by Vance Huxley
Despite his reluctance, Haroldarranged to visit the Geek Freeks to try and sell in bulk. He rarely visited outside the scheduled trading trip once a month, because Harold didn’t like the Geeks much. They were liars, cheats, and probably treated their women worse than Caddi did. The gang boss, Branson, had stiffed Harold over his share of the loot when they’d combined to stop the General, and Harold hadn’t finished evening up yet.
Harold parked up and walked towards the Geek trading post, an old Burger King that had been left mostly intact. It sat in the middle of the cleared area around the Geek compound, where neither side could spring a surprise. As he crossed the open ground Harold braced for some winding up, because he’d be dealing with Marconi today.The Geek radio and electrics man still hadn’t forgiven the Orchard Close women for his caning.
The bodyguards settled at tables either side of the Burger King, while Harold sat at a central table oppositeMarconi.Sure enough, the Geek started prodding. “I don’t suppose you’re here to trade for women, Soldier Boy.”The Geekmanager inspected Patty, who had come as one of Harold’s bodyguards. “You seem to have enough already. I’d heard you even took one from Caddi, or that nasty bitch of his was chasing you?”
Harold just shrugged. He wasn’t discussing women with this little scroat, or any Geek.”Patty is as nasty as you’ll want to meet, so warn any of your lot who get near her or her trainees.” Harold gave the nastiest smile he could muster. “Then while they’re bleeding out they can’t complain it came as a surprise.”
“Christ!” Marconi looked at Patty a bit more carefully, noting the amount of sharp metal she carried. She sneered at him. “I’ll mention it. Darwin spent a night at the Mansion with that bitch of Caddi’s and he’s got a scar to prove it, a long one down his arm. He swears she cut him for no reason, and gave him the choice of his arm or an eye.She reckoned she felt his filthy eyes looking at her and that counted as touching.Where’s your scar?”
“You already know I haven’t got one.” Harold smirked now because that would wind Marconi up, a bit of payback.
“Darwin won’t come to trade with you. He says if you crow about it, he’ll go apeshit because it’s still a bit sore.” Marconi laughed at Harold’s baffled look. “The memory, not the scar. A couple of the girls had a bad time until he got it out of his system. We had to recycle one of them.” Harold wanted to hit the little shit. Recycled in Geek-speak meant hurt or disfigured badly enough to be rejected as a sex slave.
“Well that would be a bloody shame, since I’ve got beer and some very different spices to trade. The spices make the Mart dog chews fit to eat.” Harold wanted to move the subject on, and genuinely wanted to sell the beer at least. “Try this.” The plastic tub held a bit of cold curry, a real Ru special. Orchard Close had plenty of Indian spices now.Some of the later refugees had more time to pack, so they’d brought the contents of their pantries.
The Geek tried just a little, cautiously, then took a bigger mouthful. “Whoo. Nice. How much have you got, and what do you want?”
“There’s plenty of beer as well, our home brew. I know your blokes prefer it.” Harold smiled at the sour expression looking back at him.
“Yeah. I’ve told Hawkins we should trade with you to buy in bulk. Then our men would spend their coupons here instead of your bloody pub.” Marconiglanced at Patty before continuing. “Some of them fancy those women of yours as well, enough to be polite. The wilder ones visit to score a Barbie, sinceI’m told those crazy bitches go to Orchard Close for beer as well?”
Barbie visits weren’t a secret, so Harold nodded. “A few do. After all, the road to the bypass is neutral and everyone has a treaty right to use it. Sharp left and our front gate is right there, and it’s a canteen, not a pub. Do you want bulk beer then, because I’ve brought a lot? If not we’ll set up a pub here and flog it to your men.”
“What do you actually want?” Marconilooked out at the pickup. “You didn’t bring that for fun.” Marconi always tweakedHarold about his habit of walking rather than usingdiesel.
“Quite a lot, but I’ve brought a few bits apart from beer.” Harold swung into proper trading. He’d brought skinny jumpers inMart colours, but with a stripe of something brighter. Patty, Liz, and three of the latest refugees had worked out how to shape simple garments, andput insimple stripes,using the knitting machine. When he asked about the music CDs, Harold hit the jackpot. The Geeks wanted more live music, and were willing to part with a karaoke setup with music. It came witha booklet giving all the lyrics, but no tracks with a voice.After some back and forth he bought it, and thirty blank CDs, in return for one copy of Jilli singing every tune on the machine. The Geeks would rip it, but only sell copies to their neighbours the other direction. If Harold heard a copy being played by any nearby gangs he’d never sell the Geeks another new song.
The preliminaries over, Harold finally got to the real reason for his visit. “I’m after cement and sand again, and I haven’t any soft loo rolls to trade this time.I need a couple of trowels for the brickyas well.”
“So soon? Are your lot breeding like those bloody rabbits?” Marconi grinned, but it faded. “Ours have died again.”
Harold tried not to show how happy that made him. “Ours haven’t, so I guess my cement will be cheaper than I expected. We’ll sell you three more, and instructions? Stick to them and your bunnies will prosper.”
“Maybe. Probably.” Marconi threw up his hands. “What the fuck, sell us five but this time the troops can look after them instead of the women. I’ll castrate the arse that lets them die this time.” He calmed down again.”So what are you building? More hutches?”
“We’ve had more refugees come in so we’re using the houses in the fields, the storehouses. We’ll be bricking up the windows and doors.” Harold’s scowl had a message in it, for Geeks in general. “So nobody bothers the women. There’s a whole squad of guards sleeping in there,in case someone tries.”
“The guards will be alert then,but if there’s women in there theymight not be watching the fields.” Marconi thought that was funny, but the small smile on Patty’s lips wasn’t for the same reason. The Demon now had twenty-one single female trainees living in those houses, with their weapons. A few were wondering just what it would take to persuade a gang to raid, so they could try out their practice. “So how much cement? A lot I hope, because I’ve got this.”
Marconi produced a nine mil that presumably needed attention, handing it over for inspection. Initially Harold assumed a Geek gun, because theycared for their firearms and this one looked clean. Closer inspection showed only the outside had been cleaned. “Captured?” Marconi didn’t answer so Harold smirked. “It’s been neglected until the action jammed, then some idiot tried to prise it open. The clip might have jammed before then, or after some burke used it as a hammer. Your lot look after their firearms better than this, and one of them tried to fix it.” Marconi’s eyes narrowedbut Harold kept smirking as he continued. “Since he failed, you know it’s going to cost double.”
“Yeah, yeah, right.” Marconi sighed, looking out at the pickup. “That’ll carry a ton, right?” Harold nodded. “Which means we still get your beer and spices, but I might have to buy the jumpers. No, I definitely will because we want the rabbits. Our blokes can buy the jumpers themselves.” Marconileant back, smiling again. “The gun is a capture because Wellysucked our neighboursinto the right place. We hit them with all four onagers loaded with pipe bombs.We killed seventeen and sent a lot scampering off to find a bandage. We captured more guns but they’re still working, even if they’re gunked up. I reckon they’ll all need your attention in the end.”
“Sooner is actually cheaper. There’s less wrong with them.” Actually they’d be bloody expensive whenever Harold fixed them.Despite ripping the Geeks off over the rabbits, twice after this deal, Harold reckoned Hawkins still owed him over the loot from the General.
“Maybe, once this one is fixed, ordepending on the prices we agree for the cement, jum
pers and spices.” Marconi looked towards Patty again, at her weapon this time. “We can always sell you some more crossbows, better ones than hers. I’ll get the two roughest pistols out here if Hawkins agrees.” They settled down to work out just what a ton of cement and sand came to in knitting,repairs, beer, rabbits and spices.The guns came for repair so Harold bought crossbows to make up the balance. At least this time he felt as if he’d won on the dealing.
Despite the warning, Marconi and his guards kept eyeing up Patty as she helped Harold and the other guards load the gear into the pickup. Patty noticed, so it might have been a good thing none of them actually insulted or tried to touch her. Harold heaved a sigh of relief when the vehicle finally pulled away from the meeting.As usual, a trip to the Geeks had left him feeling as if he needed a good scrub.
*
Patty had sneered at the crossbows as she helped to carry them to the pickup, but chuckled once away from the Geeks. “My girls, and Doll’s squad, will split these if that’s all right Harold. We can get in more practice with the extras.”
“Check with the other squads first, but that should be okay. Did you enjoy your first proper bodyguard visit to the Geeks?” Harold grinned, already sure of the answer.
“Not really. I didn’t get to kill one.” Patty didn’t smile at all.
On the drive back Patty didn’t say much for most of the trip. A half mile before coming in sight of Orchard Close, before the road came clear of the ruins, she asked if Harold would walk the rest of the way with her. “I need a bit more practice, Harold.”
“Okay.” She meant with thetwo-tworifle in the pickup cab,but the others would assume crossbow practice. Harold tucked the faulty handguns in the glove compartment, picked up his rifle and waved the driver and guard onwards. “Get that cement and the tools to Casper, will you, please, and make sure the guns are put in the guardhouse for now. We’ll be in after you hear a couple of shots. While Patty is playing, I’m going to check the sights on this rifle.” Harold headed into the ruins.
They found a spot, which wasn’t hard in daylight, but Patty didn’t load straight away. “Did you mean that, Harold? Back there.”
“Which bit?”
“About Geeks bleeding out.”
“If the stupid bastards touch you after a warning like that, feel free.” Harold curled his lip and almost spat in sheer disgust. “The species would be better without Einstein for starters.”
“It’s just that the Geeks give me the creeps.The slimy bastards always seem to be deciding if they can get away with anything. You know, with women.” Patty smiled, but only a little. “Except Wellington, and possibly Galileo and Tell. I don’t think of Wellington as a real Geek, but the rest make my crossbow finger twitchy.” She still seemed wary, unsure of Harold’s reaction.”I just didn’t want to cause trouble for you, if one of them gave me half a chance and I took it.”
“Do you want me to post a set of rules? Something like those Mercedes uses, but point out the Demons have adopted them?” Patty still seemed unsure, so Harold confessed. “I don’t like the Geeks either, and I definitely get an itchy trigger finger near some of them. They might even be worse than the Hot Rods.” Hepointed at the rifle. “Practice your long range, because if you ever get Darwin or Einstein in your sights you have my permission.”
“Yeah, after what Marconi said I’ve moved Darwin up my list.”Patty’s smile didn’t have any humour this time. “I’ll only shoot them if we can prove you’re somewhere else, unless I’ve got the Winchester handy because nobody knows you’ve got that.” She looked around at the ruins and pointed. “That gable end with the buddleia growing up the end. The patch of pale brick is what, a hundred and fifty yards?”
Harold found the spot and checked with his monocular. “A hundred and forty but you’d be near enough at that. You’re getting better.”
“I practice at judging distance. The target might not be very big if he’s hiding and I don’t want to miss.” Patty sounded utterly serious now. She settled in while Harold raised his monocular to watch the wall.
Four shots later Patty whooped when Harold confirmed four hits, allwell inside the chest area. Harold tried not to laugh. “I’ve got a scope for that rifle.You can haveit now.”
“You rotten sod! I’ve sweated blood to hit with the peep sights and you’ve got a scope?”
“Which means hitting with a scope will be a doddle. If it gets fast and furious the scope is useless. Toss it aside because the view’s too small. It’ll concentrate you on one man and you’ll kill him, butmeanwhile his three mates have scattered and you didn’t see where.” They walked the rest of the way in deep discussion over the difference between picking off a single man, and a battle with a lot of moving people.She’d learned how to hit her target, but Patty needed her horizons broadening to make her hits much more effective.
Patty’s shooting would definitelymake OrchardClose safer.Now Harold needed a way to do the same with the Mart runs.
*
The Martshopping trips were getting bigger despite the food coming in from the fields. All the extra people needed extracorned beef to supply fat in their diet, on top of the usual coffee, chocolate, underwear and contraception. That meant carrying more coupons, and unfortunately the shoppers were vulnerable after leaving the bypass and before entering the Mart. Muscles and fists weren’t enough if someone with a machete picked on them before the shoppers had time and privacy to unpack their iron bars.
When he bemoaned that fact during some private sabre practice,Patty had a possible solution. One of the earliest refugees from the Murphies, Wamil, had started teaching a few women a type of unarmed combat.
Harold went to visit Wamil at home, just to have a look at a few of her lessons without any trainees present.When the tall, quiet, twenty-seven-year-old Indianwoman agreed to run through her full training routine, Harold had a hell of a shock. She bounced around the room kicking, chopping and punching like some sort of Bruce Lee clone, though her sari made the strikes seem more graceful than lethal.
“What the hell is that? Sorry, but it’s a bit more than self-defence.” Harold chuckled, trying to cover his reaction. “Have you ever actually hit anyone like that?”
Now Wamil looked shocked. “Only my brother. He taught thisto others as a combat skill, but we only sparred for exercise so we pulled the strikes.I’ve never hit anyone properly, because that could cause serious injury.” She looked a little embarrassed. “This is not supposed to be for women andI only learned it to keep fit.I don’t teach my classesthe dangerous moves.”
This time Harold’schuckle came much more naturally. “It’ll definitely get everyone fit, the way you bounced around here. Dangerous moves? Exactly what is that lot supposed to do, except scare me to death?”
“It won’t hurt anyone as an exercise.” Wamil seemed defensive about that, so Harold asked about the keep fit exercises. Once she’d relaxed he came back to the dangerous moves. Wamil demonstrated a few in slow motion against a decidedly wary Harold, so he could see where the strikes would land. Harold felt relieved he’d met Wamil on friendly terms. Her so-called “exercises” would deliver a nasty combination of groin, eye and throat strikes with elbows, knees, feet, thumbs and knuckles.
“What about defence?Does it include any way of breaking free if someone grabs you?” Harold cautiously took her wrist in his hand. “Be gentle with me please.”
Wamil barely took hold of Harold, showing where she would apply pressure rather than actuallyusing any force. Harold recognised some moves, such as the thumb between his knuckles, and assumed the rest would work as well.Wamil moved on to a nifty selection of throws and blocks and some painful looking ways to grip or twist to release a weapon or cause agony. “Is that what you wanted to know?” Now Wamil seemed very worried for some reason.
Harold nodded enthusiastically. “Oh yes.” The result looked ideal for hand to hand combat, especially smaller fighters facing heavier, strongeropponents. It wasn’t judo, which he’d seen, bu
t some of the throws had that flavour while the strikes might be nearer karate. “I like it. Nasty, and most of it doesn’t relyon brute strength. Could you start proper classes for any of the women who want to learn, please? Patty’s Demons will be interested.”
“A keep fit class?”
“No, teach them how to actually use the moves, to hurt someone. You’ll get a few men as well, once someone like Ru dumps them on the floor.”The tiny Murphy ex-tenant had turned out to be a real firebrand. Harold felt sure Ru would be at the front of the queue for lessons, just in case the banchod got past her crossbow, machete and knife.
“I can teach enough to get the woman out of trouble, if the man won’t accept no?” Wamil still seemed cautious.
“I was thinking more of crippling the scroat. I would like you to teach them as much as you can, the nastier the better.” Wamil still looked confused. “Can you make the women truly dangerous? Show them how tohit the person properly, full contact, notjust exercise?”
“Yes, but.” Wamil dithered, and then took a breath. “These disciplines are meant to hurt, or even kill if used properly, so what if one of your men gets hurt?”
Harold laughed,shaking his head. After three years of the Murphies,some of the new refugees couldn’t believe the Orchard Close fighters had no privileges. “It serves them right for stepping out of line. Is that what’s bothering you? One of the guards pushing it with a woman and getting slapped down?”
“Yes, because. Well. They’re the fighters, and fighters usually expect women to put up with…. It’s just, they seem better here, but I wasn’t sure.” Wamil sounded flustered, and looked embarrassed.
“At least half the fighters are women anyway. Clear and simple version. If I grab a girl without permission and she breaks my arm, that’s my fault. Now can you make the women dangerous?” Harold looked her straight in the eye, because Wamil needed to believe this. She seemed relieved but still a little embarrassed about the dangerous part, which didn’t make sense to Harold. “How come you learned the dangerous moves if you didn’t want to use them?”